Stories of
American Heroes -
Brought to you from the "Home of Heroes" - Pueblo, Colorado

About the
Individual

A.B.M.C.
Cemeteries

American
Battle Monument Commission

World War II

The following
information is obtained from the official A.B.M.C. website. We
encourage you to visit their site by clicking on the link at the bottom
of this page. The A.B.M.C. website has additional information as
well as downloadable books on each cemetery

Florence, Italy

The World War II Florence American
Cemetery and Memorial is located on the west side of Via Cassia, about seven
and a half miles south of Florence, Italy.The Rome-Milan highway (Autostrada) passes near the cemetery.Its Certosa-Florence exit is two miles to the north.There is excellent train service to Florence from the principal cities
in Italy.It is also served by
some of the international trains.The "SITA" bus station provides frequent bus
service along Via Cassia.There
is a bus stop conveniently located just outside the cemetery gate.

The site covers seventy acres, chiefly
on the west side of the Greve River.The
wooded hills which frame its west limit rise several hundred feet.Between the two entrance buildings a bridge leads to the
burial area where the headstones of 4,402 American military Dead, representing
thirty-nine percent of the U.S. Fifth Army burials originally made between
Rome and the Alps.Most died in
the fighting which occurred after the capture of Rome in June 1944. Included
among them are casualties of the heavy fighting in the Apennines shortly
before the war's end.On May 2,
1945, the enemy troops in northern Italy surrendered.At Florence, the headstones are arrayed in symmetrical curved rows upon
the hillside.Above the burial
area on the topmost of three broad terraces stands the memorial marked by a
tall pylon surmounted by a large sculptured figure.The memorial has two open atria or courts joined by the Tablets of the
Missing upon which are inscribed the names of 1,409 Americans who gave their
lives in the service of their country and who rest in unknown graves.

The atrium at the south end of the
Tablets of the Missing serves as a forecourt to the chapel which is decorated
with marble and mosaic.The north
atrium contains the marble operations maps recording the achievements of the
American Armed Forces in this region during World War II.

The cemetery is open daily to the public from 9:00
am to 5:00 pm except December 25 and January 1.It is open on host country holidays.When the cemetery is open to the public, a staff member is on duty in
the Visitors’ Building to answer questions and escort relatives to grave and
memorial sites.